Per capita CO₂ emissions by sector in China
China: Per capita CO₂ emissions by sector was 302.51 kilograms per person in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
302.51 kilograms per person
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
61st
of 187 countries
All-time high
375.3 kilograms per person
in 2017
All-time low
215.91 kilograms per person
in 2000
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Per capita CO₂ emissions by sector in China, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilograms per person.
Analysis
China recorded 302.51 kilograms per person for per capita co₂ emissions by sector in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and down 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita co₂ emissions by sector in China peaked at 375.3 kilograms per person in 2017 and was at its lowest, 215.91 kilograms per person, in 2000.
That places China 61st out of 187 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Per capita CO₂ emissions by sector in China, year by year
| Year | kilograms per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 333.46 kilograms per person | — |
| 1991 | 327.36 kilograms per person | -1.8% |
| 1992 | 303.92 kilograms per person | -7.2% |
| 1993 | 309.39 kilograms per person | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 282.36 kilograms per person | -8.7% |
| 1995 | 299.72 kilograms per person | +6.1% |
| 1996 | 254.93 kilograms per person | -14.9% |
| 1997 | 284.11 kilograms per person | +11.4% |
| 1998 | 238.79 kilograms per person | -16.0% |
| 1999 | 242.31 kilograms per person | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 215.91 kilograms per person | -10.9% |
| 2001 | 217.19 kilograms per person | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 220.39 kilograms per person | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 238.3 kilograms per person | +8.1% |
| 2004 | 270.77 kilograms per person | +13.6% |
| 2005 | 278.97 kilograms per person | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 291.43 kilograms per person | +4.5% |
| 2007 | 300.4 kilograms per person | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 287.33 kilograms per person | -4.4% |
| 2009 | 291.73 kilograms per person | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 308.09 kilograms per person | +5.6% |
| 2011 | 324 kilograms per person | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 333.85 kilograms per person | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 345.59 kilograms per person | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 350.7 kilograms per person | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 368.77 kilograms per person | +5.2% |
| 2016 | 372.59 kilograms per person | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 375.3 kilograms per person | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 348.05 kilograms per person | -7.3% |
| 2019 | 323.54 kilograms per person | -7.0% |
| 2020 | 319.09 kilograms per person | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 311.92 kilograms per person | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 302.16 kilograms per person | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 302.51 kilograms per person | +0.1% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 302.51 kilograms per person is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 167.33 kilograms per person, 1.8× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- China's 302.51 kilograms per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 97.44 kilograms per person, 3.1× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 287.64 kilograms per person | 238.79 kilograms per person | 333.46 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 261.24 kilograms per person | 215.91 kilograms per person | 300.4 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 345.05 kilograms per person | 308.09 kilograms per person | 375.3 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 308.92 kilograms per person | 302.16 kilograms per person | 319.09 kilograms per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More climate change data for China
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 31.25 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 604,831 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 191,478 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 413,353 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 722.56 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 14,763 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 342,069 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 200,605 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 141,464 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 757 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is per capita co₂ emissions by sector in China?
- Per capita co₂ emissions by sector in China was 302.51 kilograms per person in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita co₂ emissions by sector recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 375.3 kilograms per person in 2017.
- What is the lowest per capita co₂ emissions by sector recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 215.91 kilograms per person in 2000.
- How does China rank for per capita co₂ emissions by sector?
- China ranks 61st out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is per capita co₂ emissions by sector rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita CO₂ emissions by sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in kilograms per person.